Comic-Con 2009: Interviews for ‘Alien Trespass’ and ‘Boondock Saints II’

Comic-Con 2009: Interviews for ‘Alien Trespass’ and ‘Boondock Saints II’

Posted on July 29, 2009 at 12:40 pm

I am a huge Eric McCormack fan and enjoyed his retro sci-fi movie Alien Trespass, so it was a special treat to get a chance to talk with him and writer/director R.W. Goodwin (of “X-Files”) at Comic-Con about the DVD release. Goodwin emphasized that the film is not a parody of cheesy 50’s sci-fi movies or even a tribute; his intention was to create a film that would look and feel as though it had actually been made half a century ago and had just been re-discovered. He loves the “great, sweet, really earnest” films of that era and wanted to “put ourselves in that space.”

I asked McCormack what he thought about in creating the character of Urp, an alien who inhabits the body of an Earth scientist, and he said that the image he held in his mind was when Urp has to drive a car for the first time. “He’s obviously intelligent,” McCormack said. “He piloted a rocket ship to get to earth. But everything is new to him. So I thought of him as more child-like than robotic. Ted’s body is a stolen car he is learning how to operate.” Here he talks about his favorite scene.

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And it was a lot of fun to talk to Clifton Collins, Jr. and Julie Benz about their upcoming film, “Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.” Benz said she seems to be doing nothing but vigilante stories — “Rambo,” “The Punisher,” “Dexter,” and now this sequel to the cult favorite about two brothers who take the law into their own hands and famously end the film asking whether they are good or evil, saint or vigilantes. Collins and Benz join the returning cast of the 1999 original, including Billy Connelly, Norman Reedus, and Sean Patrick Flannery as the father and sons who go after the bad guys.

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Collins is one of my favorite actors, most recently seen as the number two bad guy in Star Trek, but I have been a fan since he appeared in The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit in 1998. He told me that he was “not in the first film but was around it,” knew writer/director Troy Duffy’s journey from bartender to film-maker (as documented in the movie Overnight) and “once I read it, who didn’t want to be a part of ‘Boondock Saints?’ Everybody did.”

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Festivals Interview

Chicka Chicka 123… and More Counting Fun

Posted on July 29, 2009 at 12:21 pm

First-time preschoolers can get a head start, kids returning in the fall can get a refresher, and everyone in the family can have fun with this terrific new DVD of counting stories from my very favorite series by Scholastic. I was especially glad to see that the stories include some very big numbers (this one may be useful to older kids and adults trying to understand the bailout and deficit figures) and one about money that makes it clear that counting is fun, money is nice, but “enjoying your work is more important than money,” and “making money means making choices.” Again, some good lessons for everyone.

The DVD includes:

CHICKA CHICKA 1,2,3 (By Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, illustrated by Lois Ehlert, sung by Crystal Taliefero) When one hundred and one numbers race each other up the apple tree, bumblebees come buzzing. Which number will save the day?

EMILY S FIRST 100 DAYS OF SCHOOL (Written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells, narrated by Diana Canova) School begins and as the days and weeks go by, Emily and her classmates learn new ideas and expand their world.

HOW MUCH IS A MILLION? (By David M. Schwartz, illustrated by Steven Kellogg, narrated by Bruce Johnson) Marvelosissimo the Mathematical Magician explains the concepts of a million, a billion, and a trillion.

IF YOU MADE A MILLION (By David M. Schwartz, illustrated by Steven Kellogg, narrated by Bruce Johnson) Marvelosissimo the Mathematical Magician explains various forms of money and how to use it.

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Animation Based on a book Early Readers Elementary School Movie Mom’s Top Picks for Families Preschoolers

You Star in Yoostar

Posted on July 29, 2009 at 8:00 am

You want to be in movies? Here’s your chance! Yoostar is like movie karaoke. You remove the actors from famous scenes so you and your friends and family can take over. You can be Rocky! You can be the Blues Brothers! You can even be Elmo on Sesame Street. Are you ready for your close-up? (Yes, of course they have “Sunset Boulevard.”) Then you can be a star!
Thanks to Wired for the info.

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Paul Peterson — Protector of Child Actors

Paul Peterson — Protector of Child Actors

Posted on July 28, 2009 at 12:52 pm

Paul Peterson was one of my first celebrity crushes when he appeared on The Donna Reed Show. He was briefly a Mousketeer at age 8 and played Cary Grant’s son (with Sophia Loren as his babysitter) in the affecting romantic comedy Houseboat. But his greatest success in show business was in the classic suburban sitcom with Donna Reed, Shelly Fabares, and Carl Betz.
He had trouble finding work as an actor after the show ended and his difficulties led him to become the leading advocate for child performers, founding the non-profit group A Minor Consideration. He has been an outspoken critic of Hollywood’s exploitive treatment of young actors and has been at the forefront of providing support and guidance for them and their families. Peterson’s decision to file suit on behalf of Nadya Suleman’s children has, along with recent concerns about the Gosselin children, underscored the importance of closing a to a troubling loophole — the very strict rules protecting child actors do not apply to children who appear in “reality” shows. I applaud Peterson for stepping in when child protective services have failed to make sure that Suleman’s eight infants and her older children get the care — and privacy — they need and deserve.

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